World Glaucoma Week is being observed from March 11 to March 17 this year.

New Delhi: Glaucoma is referred as a "silent blinding disease" or the "sneak thief of sight". To spread awareness about the disease, World Glaucoma Week is being observed from March 11 to March 17 this year. When the eye's optic nerve gets damaged, a group of eye-related disorders crop up, which are identified as Glaucoma. It happens when the front part of the eye builds up fluid. This extra fluid increases pressure in the eye causing damage to the optic nerve. When left undetected, Glaucoma may lead to irreversible loss of vision. The disease does not show any obvious symptoms and gradually worsens visual damage and progresses silently.

One of the chief causes of Glaucoma is ocular hypertension or an increased pressure within the eye.In most cases, glaucoma appears after the fourth decade of life and its frequency increases with age, but some forms of Glaucoma may occur at birth or during infancy and childhood.

Consulting an eye-care professional early is advisable to keep Glaucoma in check. Watch out for the these signs: A rainbow halo around lights, blurred vision, vomiting and nausea. Since the symptoms do not show at early stage, early detection is the key. Keeping this in mind, World Glaucoma Week is observed and free eye check-up camps, special eye screenings, awareness drives, events and conferences are organised throughout the world. This aim is to halt the progression of the Glaucoma, which is considered the second-most reason for blindness in the world. People suffering from diabetes need to extra cautious, advise doctors.